AuthorTopic: Loupe for Nikon D800E liveview (Read 14217 times)

I was wondering if anyone had experience of using a loupe and whether it was felt to make a significant improvement ? Was it money well spent ? I have read that there is loupe available called a Hoodman HoodLoupe 3.0 and wondered if this was a worthwhile purchase ?

On a similar theme - are there recommendations for a screen protector for the D800 or is it best leaving the plastic protector on the back (as purchased) ?

I have read that changing the picture control sharpening setting improves the sharpness of Live-View. Does anyone have any further tips ?

The hoodman loupe is a good place to start. It will also make reading the screen easier in bright light.

On settings for Liveview check out Lloyd chambers site. He has some recommendations on settings that make the Liveview easier to focus. It was on the free part of the site. He talks about how to create a custom setting which may help.

I use the Hoodloupe all the time,it's an essential part of my kit. It's very useful for Live View focusing and composing, but I also use it for chimping outdoors so I can get a better idea of exposure.

I find the Hoodman loupe (‘HoodLoupe’) very helpful with Live View, particularly in bright sunlight. Though I still use the old HoodLoupe 3.0 (for 3” LCD’s) which was purchased together with my D700, Hoodman is now selling a HoodLoupe 3.2 which presumably better fits the somewhat larger 3.2” LCD of the D800/E. Zacuto also sells a number of LCD loupes (Z-finder) which some photographers claim to be noticeably superior to Hoodman’s offerings (albeit at substantially higher prices).

After increasing the sharpness setting on my D800E I have found finding critical focus considerably easier. I have heard some photographers additionally increase the contrast setting, though I wouldn’t recommend it for fear of detrimentally influencing the already inaccurate (JPEG-based...) histogram. Of course, none of these changes have any influence on the RAW file.

I use the Hoodman 3x loupe regularly. It's a good tool but I hate the straps they have for it and also the crane that fits into the hotshoe so you have hands free viewing. You should also try using it with the "zoom" feature on the D800.

On settings for Liveview check out Lloyd chambers site. He has some recommendations on settings that make the Liveview easier to focus. It was on the free part of the site. He talks about how to create a custom setting which may help.

Paul,

I searched diglloyd but only found links to the paid section for Liveview tips. Do you have a link to the free info you mention.

Diglloyd’s tip is found in the section entitled “D800 / D800E Live View Tip for Better Definition” which is part of his extensive review of the D800 and, unfortunately, is located in his ‘Diglloyd Advanced Photography’ (DAP) section which is in fact only available to subscribers. However, basically he recommends doing what I mention in my comments above, namely to increase the sharpening setting to ‘9’. He also suggests creating a custom Picture Control setting (he used Nikon’s Camera Control software to do the editing) with the sharpening set to maximum (9). Lastly, he offers a .zip file with this custom setting which one can load on to the already existing pre-sets. Basically that’s it, in a nutshell. Lest I provoke Lloyd Chambers’ wrath by divulging information which is only available to paying readers, I do find his blog extremely informative and well worth the subscription price. Hope this helps.

RFPhotography

The problem with the loupes/magnifiers out there currently is that they don't fit the larger 3.2" LCD of the D800/E. I don't think there is a decent quality option available yet. The 3" ones will work but you lose some of the image view.

Thanks for posting the info. It used to be in the free side of Lloyd's site as I had posted it some months ago on the getdpi site. I have tried the settings Lloyd recommends and they seem to help more on wide angle lenses.

I just created a new landscape picture control using his settings and go back and forth between them.

I want to say that the custom settings also effect the view on the LCD when reviewing an image making it appear too sharp. But I am not 100% sure of that.

The problem with the loupes/magnifiers out there currently is that they don't fit the larger 3.2" LCD of the D800/E. I don't think there is a decent quality option available yet. The 3" ones will work but you lose some of the image view.

Both Hoodman and Zacuto have recently come out with 3.2" models. The Hoodman is fine hand-held. The Zacuto works well when attached with their mount, unless you use a tripod bracket. Their stick on frame doesn't clear the Nikon control buttons so it must be used with the stock protective screen, which according to the Nikon manual is optically designed for protection only. There is really no perfect solution, so I have one of each (and am selling a new Zacuto that wife didn't like). I use the Zacuto with Live View so I have my hands free and the Hoodman for everything else.

RFPhotography

Didn't know Zacuto now had one. I don't like the handheld nature of the Hoodman. As it happens, I was just reading a blog elsewhere and found this one, which is available for the D800,http://www.kinotehnik.com/products/lcdvf/compatibility. €119 isn't too horrid a price. No idea if the mounting plate clears all the buttons on the back of the camera.

Hoodmans are great, especially with mirrorless cameras or for critical live view focusing ... I assume you've seen this article by Michael?

They really aren't "loupes" per say, they don't magnify the image. But with digital that's not necessary since you can zoom in on the LCD. You just need a way to block extra light and be able to focus closely. They really quite well if you are on a tripod, little more challenging if you try to attach it to the camera for hand held. The rubber bands are a little odd and on some cameras don't work very well.

It's not a true magnifier the wat a Schneider, Rodenstock or Fuji 4X loupe is but the lens is focusable so you canplace your eye much closer to the LCD and still be able to see the screen in focus than you could without it. I like that the new 3.2 and Compact Hoodloupes hasa a threaded mount.

The problem with the loupes/magnifiers out there currently is that they don't fit the larger 3.2" LCD of the D800/E. I don't think there is a decent quality option available yet. The 3" ones will work but you lose some of the image view.

I used an LCDVF on my D3x and loved it; much higher quality than the Hoodman IMHO. They're finally shipping a 3.2" version for the newer Nikons, mine is currently in transit, should be here in a few days.

I was not aware of this product, and it does look good. They have apparently addressed the mounting problem that Zacuto has ignored. There is not enough room to attach the hood mount on the 800/e without hitting the various bottons. But, the attachment method of the LCDVF for those of us who use l-brackets is very suspect. Zacuto recomends their stick-on bracket be used with the protective screen, which is not satisfactory optically. Note: The 3.2" Hoodman compresses to half size when not in use, good for storage.

Because they work in the same way as the stock protector does. If the L-bracket doesn't have an indent for the protector, the bracket will keep some of them from attaching. The stock protector seems to work, but the other thinner ones do not. I use RRS brackets, and it seems like it would be easy to machine in a small grove. Nothing is ever perfect, particularily when dealing with multiple manufacturers. Anyhow, I will be interested to find out if the LCDVF attachment works with an L-bracket.

RFPhotography

I still can't see why it wouldn't. It attaches to the camera via magnets. The small frame that adheres to the back of the camera is metal and magnets n the loupe attach to that. The frame uses adhesive to attach to the camera, not the mounting mechanism of the lcd protector. That is the LCDVF, specifically. Can't say how others work.